Product Description

In his draft Preface, Wilfred Owen includes his well-known statement 'My subject is War, and the pity of War. The Poetry is in the pity'. All of his important poems were written in just over a year, and Dulce et Decorum Est, S.I.W., Futility and Anthem for Doomed Youth still have an astonishing power to move the reader. Owen pointed out that 'All a poet can do today is to warn. That is why all true Poets must be truthful'. His warning was based on his acute observation of the soldiers with whom he served on the Western Front, and his poems reflect the horror and the waste of the First World War. This volume contains all Owen's best-known poems, only four of which were published in his lifetime. He was killed a week before the Armistice in November 1918.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26665 in Books
• Published on: 1994-11-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 112 pages

Customer Reviews

an important book to have for those who admire Owen's work
I have found in this edition a number of poems which I failed to find in any other collection of his works.
Some of these poems included in this edition are less well known than "Strange Meeting" and "Anthem for Doomed Youth".
The introduction offered is enlightening and informative, which I found useful in my study of Owen's work.
Owen is by far one of the best poets of his time and of the 20th century, and this collection offers the best of his poetry. The collection is poignantly concluded with "Strange Meeting" which was his last work, the one he never lived to complete.
I recommend this collection to all those who admire his poems and/or have been seeking some of his rarer pieces.

Poignant and moving
A great collection of poems that resonate with the modern times. Very poignant.

My particular favorite is "Disabled" (although I quite like Dulce et Decorum Est), which tells of a man and his return from war, having been disabled. It describes life after, the differences to his life before and the reaction of others to him. I saw many similarities between this and the feelings described in the Kenny Rogers song Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town, where the main character is a veteran from the Vietnam War.